Reducing mental health disparities through population health promotion: translating knowledge into practice – practice into knowledge

Sylvia Abonyi & Mary Hampton - Co-Investigators

Abstract

Through knowledge development and translation activities this project aims to understand and address mental health disparities among vulnerable populations, specifically indigenous and recialized immigrant women.  This project mobilizes a trans-disciplinary and multifaceted reserach program that will create new knowledge in mental health promotion theory, policy and practice.  This will be achieved by bringing together a unique blend of reserach scientists, policy and decision makers, and community-based practitioners.

The objectives of the project include:

• mapping the continuum of approaches to mental wellbeing and culturally embedded conceptualizations of mental health in mental health promotion related discourse and policy;
• the development of culturally relevant evaluation frameworks;
• theorize MHP processes relevant to the study groups;
• the development of innovative and culturally relevant knowledge translation approaches;
• building interdisciplinary and long-term research capacity through integrating multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches with the university and community-based training opportunities. 

Processes of economic, social, and cultural marginalization and vulnerability have some common implications for the ways in which the mental wellbeing and self-determination of Indigenous and racialized immigrant women are shaped.  Understanding these dynamics and theorizing ethno-cultural similarities and difference in mental health promotion processes will contribute to reduced mental health disparities of these vulnerable populations through the development of more robust mental health promotion theory and better informed mental health promotion policy and practice. 

Research Team

Lewis Williams, University of Saskatchewan Arts Department (Principal Investigator)

Sylvia Abonyi (Co-Investigator)

Mary Hampton (Co-Investigator)